Nursery Playground Transformation at The Cottage Nursery

The Customer

Based in the large town of Swindon, The Cottage Nursery can be found. Known by the locals as a fantastic registered charity that provides brilliant childcare for children in the Shivernham and Watchfield area, The Cottage Nursery is highly regarded and has developed a strong reputation.

Interestingly, The Cottage Nursery is linked with the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, offering places to families who are attending the academy. Just by reading their glowing testimonials, it's clear to see the positive impact The Cottage Nursery has had on both military and civilian families.

Helping to educate over 60 early years children every year, the small but mighty team at The Cottage Nursery have impressed Ofsted multiple times due to their approach to educating. However, one area which The Cottage Nursery wanted to improve on was expanding their outdoor resources and experiences.

Meeting The Customer

Clare Olden and Trudi Krzywiec, joint managers of The Cottage Nursery, reached out to Pentagon Play by leaving us an enquiry. On this enquiry, it was explained how The Cottage Nursery was looking online at a wide variety of play equipment companies to help with a huge project, but they were struggling to find the right company for the job.

After comparing prices, reviews and product quality, the managers decided that Pentagon Play was the best suited company for them. After hearing this, we immediately called Clare and had a more in-depth discussion to learn more about the nursery and their plans.

During this conversation, Clare told us how impressed she was by the knowledge and expertise demonstrated by Pentagon Play across our website. From this, she was excited to start her journey with Pentagon Play by having an initial meeting with one of our Outdoor Learning Consultants, Mark Slatter, and one of our co-owners, Sam Flatman.

Their Objectives

During the meeting with Mark and Sam, Clare and Trudi explained how they wanted to develop and redesign their current nursery main playground. Alongside this, they wanted to remove an old play ship to make more space in the playground.

Once the main goal was acknowledged, the group then discussed what they would want on this new playground. Instantly, both of the managers spoke about how they wanted their new playground to provide a variety of play equipment, promoting different play types.

Finally, The Cottage Nursery wanted to add a few other features which would help to improve the quality of care given to the children. An outdoor classroom, storage units and fencing were all agreed on as being the improvements that were most needed.

Our Approach

Helping to transform over 15,000 unique locations, Pentagon Play have earned the reputation of being one of the best playground equipment companies within the UK. Over our 25 years of operating, we've constantly improved our business so we can provide the best for our clients.

What’s the key to our success? At Pentagon Play, we've mastered a customer journey that sets us apart in the industry. Every client becomes part of the Pentagon Play family, and we’re dedicated to providing outstanding service that keeps you coming back. From our approachable Outdoor Learning Consultants to our innovative products team, we ensure a seamless, stress-free experience from beginning to end.

Surfacing

Before we started to install any play equipment, we first focused on laying down the two surfacing options that The Cottage Nursery selected. The first surfacing option selected for covering the main area of the play area is one of our most popular active play surfaces, Playturf Artificial Grass.

Passing FIFA's durability tests and coming with a 10 year guarantee, Playturf is a fantastic surface for any areas that will be used for active play. Knowing how energetic their children are, the nursery loved how the surface would withstand the heavy usage from them.

Natural turf can often be a pain to maintain, with the British weather being so unpredictable and causing a variety of issues. Playturf is incredibly low maintenance, whilst providing the beautiful look of natural grass.

Alongside the Playturf, the nursery also decided to have a secondary surface type installed which would add colour to the area. Loving the texture of Playturf, the nursery wanted another surface that was similar but offered more bespoke options. This led the nursery to selecting the surfacing option of Funturf.

Available in hundreds of different colours and woven with the best polypropylene yarn available on the market, Funturf has earned a reputation of being a fantastic EYFS surfacing option. The Cottage Nursery loved how the Funturf added new life to their play area, making it more engaging for the children.

The best part of Playturf and Funturf is how they can be applied onto nearly any pre-existing surface. The Cottage Nursery loved this aspect as it would save them a lot of money on excavations and removal of materials. It's safe to say that the new surfaces are a huge hit for the nursery.

Outdoor Classroom

Looking through our wide range of outdoor classrooms, The Cottage Nursery were amazed by one structure in particular. Providing a huge amount of room for your little ones whilst keeping them safe from the outdoor elements, the Freestanding Timber Canopy 8M x 4M was the structure the nursery selected.

Covering an area of 32m², the Freestanding Timber Canopy is the perfect outdoor structure for delivering outdoor lessons to a huge group of children. Constructed from high pressure treated, tanalised timber and aluminium glazing bars, the canopy is built to be durable enough to withstand heavy usage for years to come.

One of the main concerns The Cottage Nursery had was how well the canopy could withstand the unpredictable British weather. When we explained how our canopies have an innovative water drainage system built in to them and have a twin-walled polycarbonate roof, the nursery was impressed by the weather-resistance of our canopies.

With our 25 years worth of experience, we have mastered the art of creating canopies that are designed to meet building regulations approval. This means that nurseries, like The Cottage Nursery, don't have to worry about going back and forth with their local council to meet specifications.

Adding another layer of safety to the canopy, the nursery decided that adding 2 post protector pads would help keep children safe from injuring themselves. The post protector pads are designed to keep children safe from injuring themselves against the post legs, keeping the environment safe and minimising the risk of serious injuries occurring.

Variety of Playground Equipment

As mentioned, the nursery wanted to provide their early years children with a wide variety of different play equipment. Not only would this allow all the children to have something to play with at playtime, but it would provide multiple opportunities for children to explore new types of play methods.

Through our thorough discussions with both Clare and Trudi, we highlighted 4 main play areas that the nursery wanted to focus on. Knowing this new information, we got to work in creating a playground that could effectively promote a variety of different play methods.

Active and Imaginative Play

Starting with the biggest area, the nursery wanted play equipment that would help children engage in active play whilst encouraging them to use their imaginations to remain fully immersed in play. From this strong desire, the following equipment was recommended for them:

The majority of the active and imaginative play equipment bought by the nursery was freestanding, meaning that the nursery staff or children could easily manoeuvre the equipment around the area to suit their needs. Equipment like the Get Set, Go! Blocks and the Up and Under Blocks encourage children to move the equipment around to construct their own obstacle courses or structures.

Combine these with the Play Bridge with Handrails and children can use their imaginations to escape into new and exciting worlds whilst engaging in active play! The nursery adored this idea as it excelled a child's physical development and imaginative skills.

The other equipment that was included in the area was installed, keeping it fixed in one place but providing a solid structure to explore. The Pinnacle Hill climber is a great introductory climbing frame for early years children, whilst providing exciting and engaging opportunities for developing vital physical skills.

Close by, children could also explore the Forest Roll Over Bars, a piece of play equipment that challenges children to improve their upper body strength whilst having a blast. The Cottage Nursery believed that these two pieces of play equipment were perfect for attracting the children's attention and developing motor skills and cognitive abilities.

Performance and Role Play

Being one of the smaller areas on the playground, the nursery wanted to introduce children to one of the most effective forms of play, role play! Role play encourages children to learn more about the world around them by acting out certain situations.

The Cottage Nursery knew the importance of this type of play and wanted to create the perfect area for children to perform plays and explore real world topics through acting. To create this area, the nursery bought:

Containing everything a child may need for their role play, the Giant Playhouse is the perfect piece of play equipment for bringing children out of their shells. Including a whiteboard for children to draw and write on and some benches for rests and observing, the Playhouse is the perfect place for kids to establish their own role play sessions.

Nearby, children could also utilise the amazing Hill Den, a fantastic piece of role play equipment that will capture the attention of any child in the play area. Having durable windows built into the roof and an artificial grass covering, early years children will love the sensory aspect this piece of play equipment provides.

Combining the two pieces of performance play equipment described above allows a nursery or school to create an effective environment for role play and performances. The nursery were excited to see the impact of this equipment as they previously lacked in role play resources and believed that this equipment might help provide more opportunities.

Messy and Investigative Play

Another small area, the nursery wanted to help children prepare for primary school by introducing them to messy play and investigative play, two types of play that have been documented as incredibly effective for child development.

A lot of nurseries provide messy and investigative play equipment to assist in a child's development, but it's important for nurseries to think carefully about what type of play equipment they acquire. After conversations with our learning experts, the nursery bought two new pieces of equipment:

Built on durable castors and made from a 'play grade' high pressure treated timber frame, the Sand Table on Wheels is the perfect piece of messy play equipment for any play area that is constantly being rearranged and moved around.

The Cottage Nursery loved how the versatility of the product allowed children to explore their senses and learn about the properties of sand in any area of the playground. A lot of nurseries love this piece of messy play equipment, which makes it no surprise that it's one of our best sellers!

It's important that children are also introduced to nature and learn about the importance of maintaining and protecting the environment. A great way to surround children with nature without making it overwhelming is by introducing the Corner Planter Bench.

Acting as a seat, children can take a moment to relax and catch their breath whilst being provided the unique opportunity to investigate the planter. Nurseries and schools can be as creative as they like as the planter provides a fantastic amount of room for a variety of plants and shrubbery to be planted.

The nursery felt like this planter was unique and unlike anything they have seen on the market. After learning about the amount of opportunities that can be offered by the planter, the nursery managers decided to include this planter in their play area.

Communication and Language

During the early years, it's important that children learn how to communicate effectively with their peers and teachers, as this skill will prove vital as the children transition into more academic environments. Alongside communication, children should be introduced to the English language and have plenty of opportunities to develop their knowledge and understanding of the topic.

As The Cottage Nursery wants to provide their children with a brilliant education, they felt very strongly about including a communication and language zone within their play area. After discussing some options and ideas, the nursery decided on which pieces of play equipment to acquire:

For children to develop their communication skills, they need to be put in environments where social interactions can occur naturally. Designed to achieve this exact goal, the Sensory Seating Circle is a great way for children to talk to their friends and develop their social skills along the way.

Even though the nursery loved the Sensory Seating Circle for it's ability to encourage conversations and social interactions, they felt like they wanted to improve the area further by adding more resources.

From this strong desire, the nursery decided to include 4 separate interactive panels on wheels. Each panel would help children create the perfect environment for exploring communication methods and improving their knowledge of languages.

Once all of the panels were placed within the Sensory Circle, the nursery felt like they had created the perfect area for children to improve their communication skills and knowledge of the English language.

Storage and Fencing

The final factor the nursery wanted to focus on was improving their facilities by introducing new storage solutions and establishing fencing around their play area. The fencing would help to improve the safety aspect of the nursery, whilst the storage units would help the play area stay clear and organised. By combining both of these aims, the nursery believed that they could create the perfect play area.

After numerous conversations with both Clare and Trudi, the nursery had enough information to buy the following pieces of equipment:

Constructed from high pressure treated 'play' grade timber and using a heavy duty roof felt, the self-selecting store range is the perfect storage solution for any nursery looking to improve their storage facilities. The Cottage Nursery was impressed by the amount of storage offered by both of these storage units.

Designed to encourage self-selection, the storage units can help children develop fantastic organisation and retrieval skills. As the nursery wanted to help children get ready for primary school, they felt like the addition of the Self-Selecting Store would assist in the child's development into the perfect student.

Surrounding the play area, the Green HDPE Fencing provided a great level of safety as it stopped children from leaving the area, without affecting the aesthetic of the environment. The nursery told us how hard it was to find fencing like ours and they were excited to use our HDPE fencing options.

Smooth with rounded-corners, the fencing has been designed to be a safe presence in a nursery play area. With the addition of 5 green HDPE gates, teachers could easily access the play area from different angles if there ever was an injury, meaning children could get treated quickly and effectively.

The Results

After a few months had passed, The Cottage Nursery invited us back to the nursery to have a look around the playground and see the amazing impact our equipment had on the children. Eagerly, we accepted the invitation and made our way back to Wiltshire!

Straight away, we saw a lot more children actively engaging with the playground and its equipment, taking part in a variety of different types of play. As we spoke to each child, we quickly learned how popular the new play equipment was and how the new surfacing added a sense of excitement and life to the playground.

When we spoke to the nursery practitioners, we were pleased to hear their positive thoughts on the latest changes. The canopy provided a fantastic area for outdoor lessons to take place, and the fencing added another level of security which the parents absolutely loved!

Overall, it's safe to say that The Cottage Nursery loved their new upgraded playground and noticed many positive changes from the project. We wish the absolute best to this fantastic nursery and hope your new playground equipment continues to bring joy for years to come.